Pheasant Or Peasant

Ok I'll admit that sometimes my all out desire to try and cook,eat and need to stick my middle finger up at certain things/people - see I can do it, attitude, far out weighs my ability to keep my feet on the ground and remain sensible.

Now I am certainly not going to say this is a silly thing to cook, it was delicious, and I enjoyed preparing and cooking it, but like duck there seems to be more bones than meat, scraps practically. For me it's better to by pre-cut breasts of poultry (aside from my aversion to bones) than the whole bird. As usual though my urgency to try out something new, exciting and different far out weighed my common sense. I had spontaneously bought the bird because I saw it in the shop.

So I think we have established, this recipe was good enough to make it into our "flavarites" but that equally it will be awhile before it gets cooked again. Unless I can just buy the breasts in which case I would do it again with some cooking method adjustments.

Roast Pheasant

2 oven ready Pheasants, with giblets

90g softened butter

salt and pepper

4 rashers/slices of bacon

1 tbsp flour

300ml Pheasant stock (which you will make, recipe included)

1 tsp red currant jelly

watercress sprigs to garnish

To Serve

Fried breadcrumbs (recipe included further down the page)

Cottage Fries (recipe included further down the page)

1. Rub the pheasants all over with the butter and season with the salt and pepper, lay two pieces of bacon across each of the pheasants.

2. Put the pheasants into a roasting pan and cook in the oven at 400F/200C, baste during cooking time once, for an hour or until the birds are tender. You'll know when they are cooked by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the bird, if the juices run clear they are cooked, the usual method basically for checking doneness of the bird.

3. Put the birds onto a warmed serving platter or plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of the fat from the roasting pan. Keeping the juices. Put the pan on the stove, add the flour and cook, stirring continuously for about a minute.

4. Slowly add the stock and red currant jelly stirring continuously bring to a boil until slightly thickened, simmer for a few minutes, taste for seasoning and make any adjustments needed.

5. Garnish the birds with watercress sprigs and serve with fried bread crumbs, cottage fries and the gravy. (option extra is also bread sauce to serve, recipe not included)

Pheasant Stock (excluding the liver)

1-2 onions

1 chopped carrot

1 celery stalk

1 bouquet garni

black whole pepper corns

1. In a large stockpot or saucepan, cook the giblets until lightly browned. Stir in about a litre of water, bring to a boil, skimming off all the scum that forms.

2. Add the onions, carrots, celery, bouquet garni, black pepper corns. Simmer for about an hour. Strain before use.

You can keep this stock covered for up to three days in the fridge and you can freeze it for three months.

Fried Bread Crumbs

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs

In a fry pan/skillet, melt the butter with the oil, when the butter starts to foam add the bread crumbs and cook stirring for about 5 minutes, until golden.

Cottage Fries

2 large baking potatoes

Sunflower or corn oil

Salt

Using the finest blade on your food processor, slice the potatoes. Pat them dry with kitchen roll. Next heat the oil in a deep fryer, or a deep saucepan/chip pan, carefully add the potato slices, a bit at a time if need be, and fry until crisp and golden, drain off an excess oil, kitchen roll is good for this and then season with salt.